Parents protest about cuts bid to school buses
Cardinal Newman parents protest about proposed bus cuts
Angry parents intend protesting about proposed cuts to faith school bus funding at a demo at Luton Borough Council’s next executive meeting on March 25.
They have formed a group with the aim of overturning any plans to reduce the service provided.
Spokeswoman for the Cardinal Newman Preserve our School Transport Committee Antoinette Kotula said: “This is a massive issue.
“The council has already had about 2,000 responses to the consultation process which started in December.
“We are totally opposed to the transport cuts and are worried about the long term effects.
“There are currently 11 buses taking about 600 pupils to Cardinal Newman at a cost of £500,000.
“If parents can’t afford the £20 a week per child to hire a private bus, and decide to take their children to school by car instead, it will be a traffic nightmare and cause chaos.” She added: “We’re also anxious about safety. If funding is withdrawn, it will mean some pupils having to get a bus into town, then walking through the centre to get another one to school.
“Who will guarantee our children’s safety?”
A council spokesman said: “Due to significant government cuts to council funding, we have had to review all areas to ensure we achieve a balanced budget while still protecting our frontline services.
“We carried out a consultation with parents, carers, schools and faith communities to get their views on proposals to withdraw funding for non-statutory school transport and explore other alternatives.
“The council is scheduled to make a decision on the proposal on April 29.” He added a booklet issued to parents of pupils transferring to high schools in September 2013 warned that the provision of denominational transport was under review.
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Weather for Luton
Friday 24 May 2013
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